Paper-handling machine



April 28, 1931'. E. PALMER ,7

PAPER HANDLING MACHINE Filed May 19, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 16 Tits. 2.

ERNEST EDWARD PALMER.

April 28, 1931. E. E. PALMER ,80

- PAPER HANDLING MACHINE Filed May 19, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 6 TEE. 4-.

76 snwssr EDWARD PALMER,

Patented Apr. 28, 1931 nane Fries ERNEST EDWARD PALMER, F TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, ASSIGNOR TO THE CLEVE- LAND FOLDING MACHINE COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO PAPER-HANDLING MACHINE Application filed May 19, 1928, Serial N0. 279,037, and in Great Britain June 9, 1927.

This invention concerns improvementsin paper or the like sheet operating machines, mare particularly sheet folding machines,

and has as its object to provide a sheet separating or delivery device whereby sheets or signatures emerging from a sheet operating device in side by side relationship may be separated or delivered in a properly segregated manner. The invention has a particular application to that type of folding machine in which sheets containing several pages or columns of different printed matter, particularly for book work, are folded as a whole and are subsequently cut into individual signatures and, with or without further folding, delivered to a stacker, delivery apron or other assembling device. In the delivery of such signatures it has hitherto been difiicult to keep the separate streams of individual signatures properly segregated and in spite of the constant atten tion of'the operator a mixing up of signatures containing diflerent printed matter has been liable to occur. This is due to the fact that in 5 most of the familiar machines at present in use the individual signatures after being cut subsequently to folding are caused to travel parallel to one another in the same direction as that in which they have left the cutters until they reach the stacker or other device and are removed by manual operation. It is in this passage from the cutters tothe stacker, usually over tapes, that irregularities of the above-mentioned kind frequently occur and it is one object of this invention to avoid this occurrence and provide an arrangement whereby, after the cutting operation, such streams of individual signatures may be properly segregated.

According to the present invention therefore in a paper operating machine, particularly a folding machine, of the kind wherein two or more streams of sheets emerge in parallel directions from a sheetoperating' device, such as a folding set or nest of sets, said sheets are guided separately in their direction of emergence on to a conveyor device whereon they are carried say, to a delivery point still along parallel courses but at right angles to their direction of emergence from said sheet operating device.

In the application of the invention above referred to each of the streams of individual signatures, produced. by the passage of the sheets through the cutters, is caused to continue in its original direction up to a certain point only, at which it is diverted from the original direction and caused to travel toa delivery point in another direction so that 6% while delivery of all or both the streams of signatures may still take place at one and the same delivery side of the machine, preferably by means of a conveyor common to all of them, nevertheless the individual streams thereof are positively controlled by being segregated at definite points to which they are conveyed by re-direction.

. According to one manner of carrying this invention into effect, the individual streams of signatures are conveyed or delivered in a direction rectangular-1y to that along which they leave the cutters by means of an endless conveyor or stacker apron or belt traveling in saidrectangular direction. On this conveyor requisite sections of its surface are allocated or partitioned off for the individ ual streams of signatures preferably by means of guides or fences, suitably arranged in regard to said surface, against which on 89 arrival the signatures abut and along or from which they then continue to travel at the desired angle to their original path. The signatures may be depositedon these individual sections of the common (delivery) conveyor by way of chutes or deflectors extending from between the respective cutters to the particular section or, as may be preferable, said signature may be fed to the requisite sections of the conveyor surface by 99 means of properly arranged forwarding rolls appropriately spaced from the feed rolls by which the sheets are withdrawn from the cutters. From these forwarding rolls the signatures may be deposited at the requisite points on the common conveyor with the aid of appropriate guide chutes or the i like or the arrangement of the forwarding rolls in relation to the'conveyor or stacker may be such as to enable the signature to be 1m directly placed thereon from the requisite set of forwarding rolls.

Two embodiments of the invention applied to a folding machine are illustrated more or less diagrammatically by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which: i Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation showinga delivery device capable of dealing with sig natures emerging from a folding machine handling sheets with two signatures up;

Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof;

Fig. 8 is a sectional elevation of a modified arrangement shown in its application to the delivery of signatures cut from sheets folded three signatures up; and

Fig. 4 is a plan view thereof.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2 showing a delivery for segregating two streams of signatures, it will be seen that the invention has been illustrated in association with a number of parallel or legal folding sets of the buckling type. Naturally the invention is equally applicable not only to any other type or arrangement of folding sets but to similar sheet operating machines demanding an equivalent sheet separation or segregated delivery. In the folding machine shown the sheets are supplied by a diagonal roll feed table 1 which may be taken to represent the initial feed table of the machine or an intermediate table delivering sheets from a previous folding set or other apparatus. The folding devices consisting of fold rolls 2 and fold plates 3, 4. 5 are of well known type and need no further description. Emerging from the last pair of fold rolls 2 the sheets are guided by a plate 6 between feed rolls 7 carried by a pair of parallel driven shafts 8. On these shafts 8 are also mounted a pair of rotary cutters or slitters 9 whereby the sheets printed and folded with two signatures up are divided into the individual signatures in well known manner.

It is clear that if the signatures were now merely deposited upon an apron moving as shown at right angles to their arrival thereon. signatures from the right and left-hand sides of the folding machine would be delivered together and indiscriminately so that if, as will usually be the case, said signatures are different, a. sorting operation. would have to follow. To eliminate this defect the signatures are, according to this invention. deposited upon different parts of the endless delivery apron 10. Forthis purpose the signatures as they leave the rolls 7 and cutters 9 engage guide surfaces 11, 12, which direct the individual signatures to different parts of the apron. The signatures 13 folded in the right-hand side of the folding sets (seen from the feed table 1) engage under the guide surface 11 and are deflected thereby directly down on to the part 14 of the delivery apron surface. To confine these signatures to said part 14 of the apron surface a fence 15 is provided against which the signatures strike and whereby they are brought to rest on the apron. In the ordinary way the movement of the apron 10 is comparatively slow so that the signatures come to rest thereon and are conveyed thereby in overlapping relationship to one another (Fig. 2). The apron movement which may either be intermittent or continuous is imparted thereto by one of the rolls 16 over;

whichit is guided.

The signatures 17 handled by the lefthand side of the folding devices 25 pass after cutting on to the guide surface 12 whereby they are directed to the further part 18 of the apron surface and are fetched up thereon by a fence 19 serving a similar function to the fence 15. The guide surface 12 is given a suitable inclination "in order to assist by gravity the feeding action of the rolls 7 and to ensure that thesignatures shall not remain on said surface. The fence 19 may if desired be extended along the full length of the apron in order to serve as a guide for the signatures 17 in their conveyance by said apron.

The fences 15 and 19 are preferably mounted in an adjustable manner to enable various sizes of sheets or combinations of signature sizes to be. handled, the feed rolls 7 and cutter discs 9 being axially adjustable to the same end. A simple manner of mounting said fences adjustably is to support them by nuts on threaded spindles (not shown) carried in the framework of the machine. hen signatures of largely varyin size are to be 'expectedsome adjustment of the guide plates 11, 12 may be necessary such as adjustment of their angular position in relation to the apron surface.

The modification illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 which delivers three sets of segregated signatures is in essentials similar to thearrangement just described. There are, however, two pairs of cutters or slitters 9 and thefeed roll, guide surface arrangement 7 11, 12 is duplicated to enable the double separation.

As illustrated, the right-hand signatures 13 pass under the guide plate 11 on to the nearest part 14 of the apron surface on which they are brought to rest by the guide 15. The middle and left-hand signatures are fed by the rolls 7 over the guide plates 12 between a further set of feed rolls 7 The latter rolls 7 are mounted on their shafts in such position as to receive-the middle and lefthand signatures. These signatures are fed by said rolls into engagement withv further guide platesll, 12' of which the formerld'eflects the middle signatures 17 down on to the center portion 18' of the apron against a fence 19. The left-hand signatures17 on. the other hand are guided by the p1ates12 between a final set of feed rolls 7", similar ily removable unit.

to those previously referred to, whence they pass under a guide plate 20 on to the farthest- )art 21 of the apron surface against a fence 2. As may be clearly seen from Fig. 4, the signatures are thus delivered in three separate parallel streams upon the apron 10 and arrive thereon at three separate points at which they are redirected to move, still parallel, in a direction at right angles to their previous courses.

It will be observed that the force of gravity is notrelied upon to carry the sheets over the guide surfaces to the further parts of the apron surface, a positive feeding action being provided by the rolls 7 7".

Since it may be necessary to employ the folding machine, on occasion. for folding single signatures, it is preferable to make the delivery gear described in the form of a read- This may be effected by mounting the guide plates 11, 12. 11" 12, 20 on and journalling the rolls 7', 7', 7" in side plates 23 which may be quickly fitted to or removed from the side frames of the machine. For the same purpose the fences 15 and 19 may also be carried by said side plates 23. The rotary cutters 9 may be removed from their shafts in the usual manner when not required.

The rolls 7, 7 7 are preferably all driven in common from the fold rolls 2. In the case of the construction of the sheet delivery in the form of a unit as referred to above a gear wheel 24- associated with the rolls of said unit may be so arranged as to automatically engage with a gear on the lowermost fold roll 2 when the unit is in position. The rolls of the individualroll pairs are, as usual, connected by gears thereon (not shown) and the roll pairs are driven one from the other by way of chain gear shown diagrammatically at 25 in Fig. 3. Naturally, however, any other appropriate driving arrangement may be adopted and if desired the delivery unit may have its own separate driving means.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a sheet handling machine, means for feeding sheets in a plurality of parallel paths, and means for diverting the sheets in each path into one of a corresponding number of transverse parallel paths arranged side by side at an angle with respect to said first named paths.

2. In a sheet handling machine, means for feeding sheets in a plurality of parallel paths, a cross-conveyor adapted to receive the sheets from said paths, and means for stopping said sheets in their movement crosswise of said conveyor, said conveyor having different longitudinal sections or portions each adapted to receive the sheets from one of said paths.

3. In a sheet handling machine, means for feeding sheets in a plurality of parallel paths, a cross-conveyor adapted to receive the sheets from said paths, and deflectors adapted to guide the sheets from each of said paths onto a separate longitudinal section or portion of said conveyor.

4. In a sheet handling machine, means for feeding the sheets in a plurality of parallel paths, a cross-conveyor adapted to receive the sheets from said paths, and a plurality of spaced fences arranged transversely of said paths above the surface of said conveyor, each fence being adapted to stop the movement of the sheets in one of said paths and guide their movement in a separate course upon said conveyor.

5. In a sheet handling machine, means for feeding sheets in a plurality of parallel paths, a cross-conveyor adapted to receive the sheets from said paths, means for stopping said sheets in their movement crosswise of said conveyor, said conveyor having different longitudinal sections or portions each adapted to receive the sheets from one of said paths, and means for positively feeding the sheets from certain of said paths across a portion of said conveyor onto certain of said longitudinal sections of the conveyor.

6. In a sheet handling machine, sheet feeding means, means for slitting a sheet during its movement through said feeding means, sheet conveying means operating in a transverse direction adapted to receive the individual sections of the sheet, and means associated with said conveying means for causing the paths of movement of the individual sheets on said conveying means to be spaced apart.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature.

E. E. PALMER. 

